Friday, January 29, 2010

Bleeding Kansas

Kansas entered the Union on January 29th 1861 as a free state.

Kansas was obtained by the United States from France, as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. It’s name comes from the Kansa Indian tribe which lived in the area. During the early years it was used by the United States government as a place to relocate Indians. The Kansas - Nebraska Act of 1854 gave Kansas residents the right to decide if the their state would be a free or slave state. Slavery proponents and abolitionists both sent settlers to the territory trying to swing the vote in their favor. This differences in ideology led to violence known as “Bleeding Kansas“. The abolitionist prevailed and on January 29th 1861 Kansas became the 24th state. Becoming a state didn't end the violence; on August 21st 1863 the raid by Confederate sympathizers on Lawrence Kansas resulted in a civilian massacres. Following the Civil War Kansas’ population exploded as immigrants and ex-soldiers flooded to the good agricultural land.